Rise of the Salamander
by Belenus Flame
Summary: See what happens when Natsu Dragneel, Fairy Tail's light in the darkness, suddenly grows dark. This story starts during the fight between Laxus at the battle of Fairy Tail. -Rated T for Violence
1. Natsu's Fall, Salamander's Rise

Rise of the Salamander

It had finally happened, after all of the enemies he faced, all the beatings he withstood, beatings he handed out, never had he thought it would be to one of his Nakama, one of his guild members. Laxus, Laxus Dreyar,grandson of the Fairy Tail guild master, Makarov Dreyar. Laxus had attacked Fairy Tail and he had started a war with the members of the guild to try and take the leadership for his own.

Finally defeating Laxus' allies, Natsu was standing face to face with the man who had betrayed his trust, attacked his friends. He was also the man that Natsu vowed to defeat, it may be difficult to attack the man who was once a part of the guild, someone who he looked up to for his immense strength when in battles, someone he strove to be like, an idol of strength, someone he could gauge his progress off.

Standing in front of the man, he started feeling his emotions running rampart, he could feel his magic spiking while he struggled to keep on top of the emotions. Being a fire mage made it hard enough his emotions in, but having Dragon Slayer magic like him, and his magic being directly linked to his emotions, he knew he was fighting a losing battle.

"Laxus, you have gone too far this time!" Natsu shouted to him, tired of just standing there glaring at him, "Ha-ha, Natsu!, I half expected you to run away like the rest of those cowards, well... try to run at least" he said while chuckling and pointing to the corner of the room where he had piled the unconscious bodies of his guild members that tried to attack the mad Lightning Dragon Slayer.

Looking at the pile he could feel his magic spiking even further, embers dropping out of his mouth, while flickers of flame started breathing new life over his body, smoke and ash being released with every breath. He saw something in that pile of guild members that made his heart stop, he saw his fellow Dragon Slayer, Gajeel, lying amongst the group of mages, bloody and beaten.

Suddenly he let loose a ferocious roar as his flames burst into life, but the usually vibrant orange flames he inherited from his foster father, Igneel, King of the Fire Dragons, and the teacher of his Fire Dragon Slayer abilities, instead the flames were an abyss black, the only thing visible through the flames were his rage covered eyes, and his overgrown canine teeth. Noticing himself, the change in his magic, he started remembering something that Igneel once told him.

_**Flashback**_

"Natsu, my boy, you must calm yourself, you must get a hold of your anger" Igneel told him, noticing he was getting angry at his failed attempt at conjuring a fireball during his training. "If you do not control your anger, you will be consumed by it" "Emotions run deep in our magic, we cannot allow ourselves to become over run wiith anger, if we do, we may hurt the very people we love most in this world" Igneel reminded him.

Knowing that he would never want to hurt anyone he claimed as family or friend, he started concentrating on cooling himself down, never forgetting to keep check of his anger.

_**Flashback End**_

But now it was too late, he had seen his guild members fight each other, friends beaten bloody, and now a fellow dragon senselessly beaten, he no longer cared about restraint, he no longer cared about being the good guy of the guild, he only cared about destroying the one that hurt his family, such is the way of the Dragon.

And with those thoughts, he charged at Laxus "**Fire Dragon's Iron Fist**" he yelled as his fist was encased in flames and he sunk it right into Laxus' stomach, Natsu not fully under control of his Dragon Instincts to enact vengeance, he grabbed Laxus by the head threw him right into the roof and took a deep breath **"Fire Dragon's Roar!**" he bellowed as a pillar of flame erupted from his mouth devouring the body of Laxus, and sending him through the roof , the flames rising ever higher and wider as he pumped more power into the attack.

Back at the guild the injured were being cared for, Makarov was sitting on the balcony watching the city, thinking over the events today, until he saw the pillar of black flames rising from the cathedral, _'Natsu?'_he thought to himself, not recognising the power or the colour of those flames, but knowing the magic very well.

Finally letting up on the breath attack, Natsu watched as Laxus' scorched body came cashing back down to earth at neck break speeds. Landing on the roof Laxus, rolled a little before hitting base of the chimney, he was still confused, surprised and fearful, confused at the colour of flames that Natsu was using, surprised at the strength of Natsu's attack, but fearful of what Natsu was going to do next.

Finally reaching the roof, Natsu was greeted with a battered and burnt Laxus, unsteadily standing on the roof, attempting to get his footing as to at least attempt to defend himself. Natsu chuckled at the idea of him thinking he could defend himself from him when he did all that damage in two attacks, so he started slowly walking over to Laxus, soaking in the moment as he watched the person that his primal instincts are screaming at him to decimate him on the spot, telling him to deliver the final attack, telling him to end his life.

Back at the guild, it was now empty except for the seriously injured and the people caring for them, the rest of the guild that were able tto move were in the streets around the cathedral watching the fight, in both awe at the fact Natsu was single handedly defeating one of the strongest mages in Fairy Tail, and in fear that this Natsu is not the same, cheerful, happy, care-free Natsu, but a feral, destructive, dangerous Natsu.

Stalking over to his prey, Natsu spared a glance to the guild members all standing around the building, seeing them all bandaged up, wincing in pain at every movement only hardened his resolve and rose his anger. Letting loose a ferocious roar, he burst into flames once again and charged Laxus, this time with the aim to end it, "**Secret Dragon Slayer Art...**" he yelled as he neared, the shock in every ones eyes, the fear in Laxus' "**... Abyss Flames Form: Blazing Black Phoenix Edge**" he screamed as he let loose a torrent of black flames from both arms and sent them hurtling towards Laxus. Exploding on contact with Laxus, they sent him flying, he had luckily put up his arms in defense of the attack, but unluckily for him, Natsu was not yet done, appearing above him in a display of in-human speed, he swung his arms down, "**Fire Dragon's Wing Slash**" letting loose another batch of explosive flames, sending him back down to the roof.

When he impacted with the roof, it erupted in a plume of smoke and dust, everyone on the ground eager and terrified for the smoke to clear to see the damage done to Laxus, but what they saw next terrified them to their very core. Laxus, was up right, but slightly floating of the floor, encased in black flames as he thrashed in agony, but could not go anywhere, as Natsu was holding him in a choke intent on ending him.

Seeing this the guild set into action "Natsu! Stop its enough!" they screamed scrambling to the roof to stop their friend from doing something that he would regret, but no one could get near the flames, they were simply too hot for anyone to get near. It seemed like nothing was going to stop him from killing Laxus right there, until someone walked out and said something that finally snapped him out of his rage, "Salamander, that's enough!" it was Gajeel, his fellow Dragon Slayer.

Seeing Gajeel filled him with joy that he was okay and actually looked a lot worse than he was, thanks to his Iron Scales from his Iron Dragon Slayer magic. Anger finally being replaced with joy, he finally came into realisation at what he was doing, he dropped Laxus to the ground, who just dropped gasping for air before passing out from the pain, he then looked to something that broke his heart and soul, terrified eyes, all belonging to the guild members he did this to protect, but they were terrified of him.

Seeing this he felt like the air had been knocked out of his lungs and he dropped to his knees, clawing at his head, furiously trying to erase the memory of the looks on his families faces. Finally having enough he ran off the roof of the building and just kept running, running as far into the forest as he could, to think.

After Natsu had ran off, the people who had climbed to the roof finally, went over to Laxus and carried him off and sent him to the infirmary, to be healed, while a few of the members stayed behind, mostly in deep thought on what to do with Natsu.

Gajeel being the first to snap out of the thought, and also the only one who truly knows the extent of how hard it is to keep anger down when using Dragon Slayer magic, he set off in the direct of Natsu, intending on bringing him back home, so they could talk through what happened.

- Time Skip: Later that evening -

Gajeel had tracked down Natsu within thirty minutes of setting off, he sat down next to him against a tree and sat and listened while Natsu explained everything, his anger, his new flames, Igneel's teachings, his worries about what the guild think of him. He could do nothing but listen, until he finished, in the end he just looked him in the eye and said "The only way you will know what they think of you, is if you face them" and with that he simply stood up and threw out his hand to Natsu waiting for his decision, and he finally decided to follow, he grabbed his hand, got up and walked back to the guild with his fellow Dragon Slayer.

When they had finally arrived at the guild, his worst fears had come true, everyone froze when he arrived, all looked at him with the same fear they had earlier, he walked through the hall with his head hung low as he approached his team, he watched in agony as he felt his soul burn up inside of him, his team members, the very people he would die for, back away when he got close to them.

At this, he dropped his head lower as he tried to hold back the tears, while he made his way to the Master's Office, clearly upset by the way he is being looked at.

Upon entering the office, he was hesitant to look at Makarov fearing that he may have the same feelings towards him, but instead he had a look that cut him deeper than anything ever could, his Father figure for the last seven years, had a look of pure disappointment on his face, his eyes boring holes into Natsu mind, forever taking residence in the part of the brain that would hold memories of his worst moments ever, "Natsu, what you did is totally unforgivable, not only did you cause a serious amount of damage to Laxus' body, resulting burns, life long scars, broken bones, and even some internal bleeding, you have also mentally scared not only him but most of the guild" he said, reminding Natsu of the look in his families faces.

"However... you did in fact do this with the guild's best interest in mind, so although I do not forgive you, I also do not wish to punish you" Makarov ended with a solemn tone, as he heard a gasp of relief leave Natsu's mouth.

While Natsu was discussing with Makarov upstairs, Gajeel was downstairs having a heated discussion with the guild about Natsu "I don't care if you think he went overboard, he is Nakama, he did this to protect us, do you think Laxus would have done less to him in the same situation?" he yelled, clearly angry at the audacity of the guild members trying to understand a Dragon's Rage and the trouble Natsu had gone through to end the rage as he was about to fulfil its purpose, "Gajeel, he went way too far, the dude was about to roast Laxus alive in front of our very eyes, we cannot trust him, what if he flips like that on one of us" a former member of Natsu's team said, the Ice Mage, Gray Fullbuster, "Yeah, I agree with Gray, what if he gets angry on a mission and just starts trying to kill us?" another member of his team said, Lucy, the celestial mage. "Ice breath, Bunny girl, you have no idea what is going on with Natsu, and I suggest, you stop attempting to understand and just have some trust in your guild member" Gajeel screamed back, fiercly defending his fellow Slayer, "But Gajeel, how are we meant to trust him, if he was capable of all that damage with Laxus, who is strong enough to withstand that type of attack, how would we fair against him?" the last member of Natsu's team said, Erza 'Titania' Scarlet, "Oh, so Titania, Queen of the Fairies, no longer trusts one of her fairies, pathetic, the lot of you" Gajeel scoffed, as he stormed off, away from his so called guild members.

That day, one of Fairy Tail's Fairies, lost his light, something he may never get back, something he eventually not want returned.


	2. The road to his Reputation

**I would like to start this off by saying a huge thanks to those who reviewed and favoured the story, It is my first fan fiction, so it was a nice confidence boost. I hope I do not disappoint**

**Belenus**

It has been two months since Natsu's flames changed, since then guild life has been a struggle. He only held a small amount of people as friends now, Happy, Gajeel, Mira, a new Dragon Slayer from the Alliance against Oración Seis called Wendy and with her return from Edolas he now speaks to Lisanna.

The group have taken note of the increasing distance being driven between Natsu and his old team, even though he has not had another 'rage episode' since that day, against Laxus, but they have still noticed him falling further from them. He has taken to going on missions with a new team, mainly Natsu, Gajeel and Wendy, along with the exceeds and now Lisanna comes for some missions.

During this time he has started to heal some of the emotional damage from his team leaving him behind, he has grown far stronger as he has dove into training with a determination that no one has ever seen before in the boy, hoping to achieve S-Class so he can prove to everyone that he is still Natsu, and still strong without the Black Flames.

At the guild it was still quiet, everyone still noticing the absence of Natsu's colourful attitude, starting fights in the guild, being loud, making everyone laugh, everyone just wished that none of the Fantasia nonsense happened so that Natsu had not used those flames, so things could go back to how they were.

Walking to the guild, Natsu was walking with his 'son' Happy sitting on his shoulder. Since that day, Natsu has changed both Physically and Mentally, his attitude and demeanour has changed completely, he is no longer childish and reckless, he rarely has happy expressions on his face unless he is on a mission with his fellow Dragon Slayers as they seem to be the only ones who understand what happened to him, even Laxus to some extent understood he had no control over it, although his damage pride refused him the ability to forgive him. But his physical appearance has also changed, since delving into serious training routines, he has further developed his already muscular physique, has grown slightly, his hair is now a bit longer and more wild, and his dress sense has changed completely, opting for more dark colours and swapped his knee length baggy trousers for dark red combat trousers.

Walking into the guild, he saw the usual thing, the happiness in the guild suddenly get tense, with a sigh at the never changing attitude of his guild members he walked over to the bar, and ordered his drink, "Morning Natsu" Mira said from behind the bar, "Morning Mira" he said with an unusually joyous tone, she looked up and saw something she thought would not been seen again in the guild hall, Natsu, giving his trademark grin, and she knew exactly why this was, "Excited for the S-Class exams I see?" she said, smiling at how joyful he looked, "Yeah, when I get S-Class I can finally prove I don't need those damn flames" he said referring to his Black Flames.

Sometime later the rest of the members flooded into the guild, Natsu was sitting at a table close to the bar with Gajeel, Wendy, Lisanna and the Exceeds Happy,Carla and Pantherlily. They were eagerly waiting for the Master to announce the participants for the the S-Class exams.

"Right brats, today, as is tradition in Fairy Tail, we will be announcing the eight members who will be taking part in the S-Class exam" Makarov read out, clearing his throat he started to announce the people being taken on the exam,

"Gray Fullbuster"

"Cana Alberona"

"Levy McGarden"

"Elfman Strauss"

"Juvia Lockser"

"Freed Justine"

"Mest Gryder"

all names that announced were accompanied by a roar of cheers from their teams, friends and just general guild members, but the next name ceased all such cheers, "Natsu Dragneel" the Master announced, and personally ashamed at the way the entire guild just silent at the mention of his name, shaking his head at their behaviour he motioned for Erza to continue, "Right, all participants are to choose a partner for this exam, but the partners are not allowed to be S-Class already, and must be a member of the guild" she announced.

After the announcements, everyone went back to their business while the people participating were talking with their friends about what partners to take, and one table was discussing their thoughts on whether Natsu should continue in the exam, much to disappointment of both the Master who could see the discussion and to Natsu who could actually hear them, "He really shouldn't be going to this, he does all that and then he is given a chance to do that to us, its just not right" Gray said, clearly infuriated at the thought of his once rival coming to this exam, "But he isn't like that anymore" Lisanna said trying to defend her friend, "But Lisanna, you weren't there to see the look in his eyes, the way he showed no hesitation in almost killing Laxus" Lucy spoke up, clearly trying to sway Lisanna into her way of thinking, "And none of you have been here to see how he has changed, all of you, who he has saved countless times, were not here to help your nakama when he needed you the most..." she couldn't stomach sitting there while they were saying such things about Natsu, so she got up and stormed over to Natsu's table.

Now at Natsu's table she noticed they were also discussing the exam, "So Gajeel, wanna partner up?" Natsu asked, knowing that the two dragon slayers would be a formidable force, "Gehehe, you know it, Salamander"he said pumping his fist into the air, getting a smile from Natsu in response and a high five.

"Natsu, come here my boy" Makarov called from the bar as he walked to his office. When he got in the office, Natsu started the talk, "What's up, Gramps?" "I know you saw the response from the guild when your name was announced, and I heard the way your old team were talking about you, and I know you heard it to" Makarov said, "So I wanted to reassure that you do deserve this, you have drastically improved yourself as a mage since the incident, you have grown in ways to be both strong for yourself and you even helped Wendy pick up some of her skills she missed from her Dragon" he added, "Yeah, thanks Gramps, its just hard hearing them talk and act like this toward me" he added with his head down a bit, remembering the way they looked at him that day.

"I know, my boy, it wil-" he was cut off by the sound of something smashing in the guild hall, deciding to investigate, he saw what he thought was inevitable. Gajeel was standing in front a smashed table, growling and snarling at the members of Natsu's old team, "Say one more thing about Salamander and ill show you how a Dragon Rages" he threatened, Gray not taking the threat lightly got into his battle stance, with his fist planted in his open palm ready to summon his magic at a moments notice, but then Makarov saw something he did not expect, Wendy got beside Gajeel and started releasing her magic, letting the wind rip around her and Gajeel as she glared at the members.

Fearing an all out brawl Makarov was about to call the glaring match to an end when Natsu beat him to it, "Gajeel! Wendy!, leave it" he said as he came down the stairs to get his bag from where the table used to be before Gajeel destroyed it in rage, "Natsu-san, we can't let them say these things about you, especially when you weren't here to defend yourself from them" Wendy said with a bit venom in her voice, that no one had heard from her before, "Wendy, its not worth the hassle" he said putting a hand on her shoulder to calm her, soon enough she calmed and the winds died down, he then glanced at Gajeel, knowing that he would not be able to calm him down the same way, he was about to walk to the guild doors, knowing they would follow, until Gray spoke up, "Ash-brain, what? You think we aren't worth the hassle?, if I wanted to I could put down both of them mys-" he was cut off by a flaming hand to the face, "You threaten my friends again and it will be the last thing you do!" he snarled at Gray, while letting his flames flicker to life on his body.

Sensing that this could turn into more than a brawl Makarov made his move to the centre of the room in between the Dragon Slayers and the other mages, "Natsu!" Makarov said glaring at the mage. Natsu knowing the message behind the glare, he turned on his heels and walked out the guild door, leaving a shocked guild and an unconscious Gray. With Natsu far enough away, Makarov turned to Natsu's old team members, with a look of disappointment he just shook his head at them and walked away, the message was loud and clear to all he glared at, 'Your actions have disappointed me'.

Outside the guild there was a deafening boom, in the nearby forest, if one had the courage to see what was happening, you would come across a young man, with Pink hair, surrounded by nothing but utter destruction, trees all broken down or simply burnt to the stump, craters litter the ground from some of his more devastating attacks, all the green grass, now a charred black, the entire area could be mistaken for some sort of volcanic wasteland, were it not for the trees surrounding the area he has destroyed.

In the next week Natsu set into his training with Gajeel, intent on bringing himself to a whole new level of strength. There is no better training partner for a Dragon Slayer than another Dragon Slayer, such as there is no better opponent for a Dragon, than a Dragon. Throughout the entire week his goal of determination has changed, from the original goal of showing he doesn't need the flames, to something far more sinister, his new goal is to show he doesn't need them, the guild, to be strong.

**While im not so happy with this chapter as I was the first, I knew I would not enjoy writing it. This is merely a transition chapter, something I needed to write rather than want to write, so to set-up for the other pieces of story I have planned**

**-Belenus**


	3. Natsu's true self revealed

**(A/N) Hey everyone. I can only apologize for the ridiculous time it took me to write this. A lot of things been happening that have caused me to not be able to get any time to actually sit down and write any ideas. But now i have the time, you can expect some regular updates. Possibly some more fanfics being written alongside so i can use my ideas up (A/N)**

During Natsu's training he had encountered a few problems. He noticed that when he would start putting effort into the fight, his flames would not turn all black, but instead they would gain a small flicker of black inside the flames, eventually turning the the full crimson flames, into half-crimson and half-black flames.

This at first made both Natsu and Gajeel panic as they feared it was another episode. But they quickly brushed that aside when they noticed that Natsu had not lashed out, he simply stood there entranced at this new flames.

"Well, Gajeel, I suppose if the flames work, may aswell use them. Not like I care if they accept me anymore" Natsu said as he created a torrent of Black-Red flames on his hand and started moving it around. "Well, as long as you feel you can control them, I don't see why not"

With that, Natsu learnt to live with the fact that his flames had changed, although it seemed that it was not going to be able to change back anytime soon.

He threw himself into training to ensure he could these flames. Going as far as to have sparring sessions with Gajeel, to see how he could handle them in a fight. Amazingly he noted that they reacted so naturally, they felt as if the flames had not even changed, if anything they felt even more natural, as if a part of him that has been locked away has finally seeped into his flames, almost comforting.

* * *

><p>The results from the training were outstanding for both Gajeel and Natsu.<p>

Natsu had gained complete control over his new flames, he could use them without even getting a bit lost in his rage or battle lust. He created a few attacks that blend his flames into more powerful attacks, while also learning to switch between either Crimson or Black flames. The benefit of switching was simple. Natsu had far more control over his Crimson flames, allowing him to only burn who he wants to burn, but they are also a bit more heat based, making his attacked hotter rather than explosive, which is where the Black flames come into it. His Black Flames were controlled but only to the extent of controlling the location of attacks and coating his limbs in flames, he could not control who they burnt, while they were also far more destructive than the regular Crimson flames he used.

Through the training Gajeel had learnt to further strengthen his defensive abilities, like his **Iron Dragon Scales**, they could now withstand Natsu's Crimson flames for a while during a spar, but the scales were still to weak to withstand the destructive power of Natsu's Black flames for too long. Asides from defensive abilities, Gajeel also managed to progress his Dragon Slayer abilities, by creating some new attacks, aswell as a new **Dragon Slayer Art** spell.

* * *

><p>Content with their training Gajeel decided to spend the remaining day before the trails in the guild hall with Wendy. "Natsu-san, Gajeel-san. You ready for tomorrow?" Wendy asked as Natsu and Gajeel entered the building. Both mages just smiled at Wendy and ignored the stares from the other mages and the heated gaze from a certain Ice mage over being knocked out in one attack from Natsu when he threatened to 'take care' of Wendy and Gajeel.<p>

"You know it Wendy. Me and Salamander are going to win this for sure" Gajeel claimed while pumping his fist in the air. "What about you Natsu-san, you confident about tomorrow?" Wendy asked while giggling at Gajeel's antics. "Yeah, I wont let _Anyone_ stand in the way of the S-Class exams for me and Gajeel" Natsu said in a voice loud enough for most people in the guild to hear, which caused most to silence themselves and start sharing glances.

Gajeel looked at Natsu with a smirk, knowing exactly what Natsu is doing to his guild mates, 'Gihi, scaring them senseless before the exams even start huh?' Gajeel thought to himself before deciding to have a little fun himself, "Salamander, you think you're going to use _**That**_ new move in the exams?" he spoke loud enough again for most to hear. Natsu saw this and had to stifle his laugh at what him and Gajeel had unwittingly started doing to the guild.

"Black Steel, what could _**That**_ be exactly? Could it be this?" Natsu started while engulfing his hand in Black flames, while most of the guild unknowingly stumbled back from the familiar flames while other either gained Angry or Fearful looks on their faces.

Gajeel and Natsu looked around at the state of the guild from him just summoning a simple flame and while this may have saddened him not long ago, he has reached a point where he simply couldn't care any more. He has a new family now, Gajeel, Wendy, Happy, Carla, Lily were all he needed. If anyone else wanted to re-ignite an old relationship with him, they would have to make the move not him, but now instead of being sad, him and Gajeel shared a glance with each other before laughing to each other over the reactions.

"Gihihi, the look on your guys faces" Gajeel stumbled his words out between laughs, un able to control himself to how terrified the guild were at the concept of the same flames he had been sparring against for the past week. Gray could not hold his anger in anymore as he sent stood up from his seat, "Natsu, what the hell are you doing using those flames in here?" "What ever do you mean Gray? Am I not allowed to use Magic in the guild anymore?" Natsu asked, feigning ignorance on what Gray is actually referring, "You know damn well what I'm talking about. Those flames are dangerous, you know this" at this Natsu frowned, 'How dare he assume he knows a damn thing about my magic. He has no right to assume he knows anything about me anymore' "Oh? Of course they are dangerous, Gray. They are flames, flames burn things. Its the person using them that defines how dangerous they are. If you actually believe that I would turn these flames against in this guild right now, then you are far more lost than I originally thought"

With that small speech, Natsu turned his back to the guild to continue his conversation with Gajeel and Wendy. All the while Natsu was showing Wendy his new flames, and how he can mix his old and new flames together, she was entranced by the flames. Wendy knew that Natsu would never do anything to harm her so she had no problems admiring the flames, and the beautiful colours they were creating by mixing. Natsu however had been so engrossed and focussed on mixing his flames in different ways and showing his control of the flames by swirling his flames around Gajeel's **Iron Club Arm** he failed to notice Gray readying his magic to attack Natsu.

**Ice-Make: Lance**

Was all Natsu heard before the Lances made their way to him. Gajeel and Wendy watched with Wide-Eyes as Natsu was being attacked in the guild by one of his guild mates, however they noticed that just as Gray finished casting the spell, Natsu smirked and the temperature rose very quickly.

The only result of the attack was a fizzling sound and a splash of water hitting Natsu's back, "Oh? Did someone throw some water at me? No? Must have been some weak Ice melting" Natsu stated his thoughts with a humorous undertone, igniting Gray's fury even further, but before he could fully prepare another attack he heard a few words being uttered before a pain sparked in his face and the darkness took over his vision, **"Iron Dragon's Iron Club"** was all Gajeel said before his arm extended toward Gray's face in the shape of an Iron Club before knocking him into his table throwing, Erza, Lucy and a few other members drinks into the air.

"Next time, control your Ice Princess, he may get hurt other wise" Natsu said without turning to face his old team. The whole guild stood and watched with baited breath. One of their mages just openly attacked a fellow member, but nothing happened. His attack melted before it made contact, and then he dared attack again before being knocked out.

Makarov sat at the top of the bar and could only watch with a saddened expression at what this beloved guild and its children are doing to each other. "Someone take that idiot up to the infirmary before he gets himself hurt" Makarov said before turning back to his conversation with Gildarts and Macao.

"So... what the hell happened while I was away" Gildarts, still not quite grasping everything that has happened with Natsu and the rest of the guild. Sighing, Makarov started explaining everything to Gildarts. The fight with Laxus, his flames, the way the guild had started acting towards him, his new team, everything. All Gildarts could do was look at Natsu with a saddened expression until he caught a glimpse of the smile on his face as he talked to the Slayers and their Exceeds, he couldn't help but grin at the image 'That kid always finds the best in a situation'.

The rest of the day went without problem. Natsu and the Slayers talked most of the day away on the table before going behind the guild to practice some spells. Wendy had taken to training with Natsu throughout the time she has been at the guild, slowly getting stronger with abilities and getting access to some of the spells her Dragon failed to teach her before she disappeared.

The whole guild had roused into discussion when Natsu and his team had the left the building. The discussion was of one topic but surprisingly it had two opinions. "What was Gray playing at then? Just attacking a member of the guild for nothing and an attack from behind aswell" one member asked everyone's question out loud. All the members could do was mutter to themselves the reasons for what they believe is the reason behind his attack.

At Erza's table, she was in a deep discussion with most of the main members and all the people who were going to Tenrou excluding Natsu and Gajeel. The topic of discussion was of Natsu and his new flames but surprisingly it was the control of the flames but not so surprisingly there were still a few members who saw Natsu as some crazed monster that could kill at a moments notice "But if he has more control doesn't that mean it will be easier for him to rampage if he decides to?" Lucy exclaimed mid discussion to the rest of the table. From that there most people could only agree with what she said, "Well, regardless. While on the exam, keep an eye on him, if he does seem to go out of control do what you need to do" Erza stated, while taking a sip of her drink.

Throughout this whole conversation they had failed to notice the growing group of missing mages in the guild, until Levy was about to get a drink from Mira, "Hey where is everyone?" Levy asked, but soon after she spoke those words. There was a deafening boom from out behind the guild and the screams of the guild members.

Erza who jumped to the conclusion of someone attacked, donned her armour **"Purgatory Armour"** before running around the back of the guild. The first thing she saw was black flames licking at the edge of some grass. Thinking that Natsu had gone crazy again she charged at him with no thought, hoping to incapacitate him before any damage could be done. However would she did not intend was for her sword to simply go through him as if he was not even there, resulting in him blasting her with a fireball.

The crowd around the guild looked on in confusion. First Natsu was showing them his new **Fire Body **spell, then Erza attacked him, "What the hell Erza?" Natsu yelled, letting his flames flow around his body in case she attacked again. Erza could only look at him in confusion and then the rest of the guild, 'why are they not running?' but her musings were brought to a halt when one of the members spoke up "Erza, he was showing us one of his spells, we came to watch his training with Wendy".

This was enough to make Erza drop her head in shame before swiftly turning on her heel and walking back inside the guild. "Hmph. Well, Wendy, lets continue" and with that Natsu continued to train Wendy in Dragon Magic, while Gajeel used his iron to create targets for Wendy to practice her attacks on before him and Natsu had their daily spar.

* * *

><p>The day of the exam had finally arrived. Natsu and Gajeel were on the edge of the boat talking to Wendy who was coming to the island as Mest's partner.<p>

The boat ride to Tenrou, was uneventful. Some members were debating whether or not to go speak to Natsu, others were deciding the best way to avoid him altogether. Natsu and Gajeel were talking about some combination attacks they could use against stronger opponents while Wendy was practising controlling her Wind.

When the boat was nearing the island, Makarov had pulled out a map hologram. This map showed a cave system on the island which was the first test.

Each cave would contain a battle except for the one cave that would give a free pass through the first test. Three mazes will pit a team against one of the S-Class mages, Mira, Erza or Gildarts, while the two other paths will pit teams against each other.

When Makarov had finished explaining the rules, all the teams lined up to start the test, "GO!" Makarov bellowed letting everyone know the start of the test. Natsu and Gajeel activated their magic instantly and leapt off the boat, using the magic to propel them across the water.

They were the first team to reach the beach, so they had the best choice out of all for the cave point. Realising that they will be up against an S-Class at the end of the trial, they decided it would be best to conserve their energy so they took the Free path, hoping it would pay off in the end.

While Natsu and Gajeel were walking in the path that held no scent they were sure they would not encounter anyone at all in the system, until they reached an empty cavern, except the cavern while empty held a strange scent. The scent held nothing but pure death and dread, which unnerved the Dragon Slayers to no end.

"Gajeel, what do you think that smell is?" Natsu asked with a hint of concern over what could possibly give off such a stench. Before he could answer however he heard sobbing coming from in the cave. "Huh?" was all Natsu said before him and Gajeel ran into the cave to find out the cause of the sound.

Entering the cavern they found themselves face to face with young man, he had pitch black hair, wearing black robes and a white sash covering his chest. The strangest thing was that he seemed to have a sad smile while he was crying, but between the smile and the saddened expression, no one could tell if they were tears of sadness or of happiness.

"Natsu?, I wonder? Are you ready to kill me yet?" the man said, while looking directly at Natsu, "Salamander, you know this guy?" Gajeel asked without taking his eyes of the man, both Dragon Slayers tensed when they saw the man, he was clearly the one that is giving off the horrible stench.

"No, I don't think I know him" 'except he seems to be give a nostalgic feel'. "Who are you?" Natsu yelled at the man, his answer was the man looking confused then raising his arm and engulfing it in black mists. Natsu seeing this engulfed his entire body in his Black flames and charged at the man, sending him into the wall of the cave kicking up a cloud of dust and rubble.

"How sad, it seems from the look of your magic, that you have indeed started unravelling that which was lost to you, so many years ago. However, this will not be enough to stop me" the man said before sending a wave of magic at Gajeel, making him gasp for air before dropping to the ground out cold, "Gajeel!" Natsu screamed running over to his friends body, "Bastard, what did you do?!" Natsu yelled at the man, "I simply knocked him out, although I could have killed him, something tells me that this man is important to you in some way, so I will leave him alive. For now. But he does not need to be apart of this conversation" Was all Natsu heard before he too was engulfed in the black mist and knocked out.

* * *

><p>At the end of the cave system, there was a clearing that all the successful teams had converged on, however all of them had noticed the missing team, Natsu and Gajeel. However all of them knew it was not because he had failed the test, "Where are Natsu-san and Gajeel-san? I thought they took the free path?" Wendy asked sitting in the clearing helping the wounded, even though her team had failed.<p>

"I don't know, I don't think it should be taking them this long if it was the free path. But then nothing could have really happened could it? If the path is clear after all" Makarov said, nervously eyeing the cavern. It had been around thirty minutes since the first team had entered the cave system.

"Right, Mira, you come with me and lets go see what is kee-" "Help us!" Gajeel interrupted Makarov's order, stumbling through the cave with a knocked out Natsu in his arms. "What happened?" Makarov demanded as he ran over to his fallen child, "Some weirdo was in the cave, he started asking Natsu if he was "Ready to kill him" and something about his flames have finally started unlocking something. Next thing I'm waking up in the cavern with Salamander passed out next to me, but look at his scarf" Gajeel said to the group as they huddled around Natsu fallen form.

* * *

><p>While the group were all focussing on trying to heal Natsu or figure out who that guy was. Natsu had woken up to a entirely black space. He was unable to move his body, only observe what was happening in the space. While Natsu was trying his hardest to figure out what was happening. He noticed a figure approaching him. Turning around Natsu saw the man from the cave walking to him with a slightly happier expression than earlier. "This is good, just me being here and you being able to stay awake, shows that you are finally unlocking your true self" the man said to Natsu as he could only stare at him in confusion.<p>

"Who are you?" "I am Zeref" The man, now known as Zeref answered.

"Zeref? As in the Dark Mage?" Natsu asked, genuinely worried for a moment, to be in the presence of such a mage is not a good thing.

"Yes. But this is not the place to be talking of such things. I have brought you here, inside your mind so we may talk without outside interruption, and so I can show you exactly what you are, what has been hidden from you" Zeref stated and almost instantly the area around Natsu started changing. Instead of the regular, black space he had been so used to, he was now faced with a village, a small village, covered in snow, it looked almost... peaceful.

The peacefulness of the village quickly dissolved as the village was suddenly in flames,. Buildings broken down, bodies of the fallen villagers strewn on the floor. The worst thing about this however were the small demons that were crawling all over the area, almost dog-like creatures, gnawing at the bodies of the fallen people, eating the meat from the fallen bodies, while there were people in robes using magic to destroy more of the already decimated village.

"Why are you showing me this?" Natsu asked in a shaky voice, 'This village, it seems so familiar. Why? Why do I feel proud at the destruction taking place?' Natsu was asking himself, however, with Zeref connected to his thoughts, he could tell what Natsu was thinking. "So you are beginning to remember this area? You remember the feeling you got as you watching the village burn to the ground?" No!" "You remember the feeling of pride at the amount of bodies you slaughtered that day?" "What? No!" "You remember how you were hailed as the END of all? How the demons worshipped you?" "B-but, h-how is this possible?" Natsu had finally realised that, these were not simply images, they were memories.

The memories were striking a feeling within Natsu, he could feel his magic reacting but not in the way that it reacts to emotions, this time it felt like the magic was changing, if not simply adapting.

Suddenly, Natsu felt a trembling pain through his entire body, it was not a simple pain from an injury, this felt like his very being was being destroyed from the inside out. The pain as imaginably high as it was, suddenly stopped, he looked at his body, to notice the Black flames were dripping off his being.

"You see Natsu? Do you understand the images I am showing you now?" Zeref asked him while he walked towards the boy, now lying on the ground.

"Is it still to early to fully understand? Maybe. But you should know this, you should know what you are..."

* * *

><p>Outside of Natsu's mind scape, the guild watched with fearful eyes as Natsu was shaking and thrashing around, screaming in pain. The black flames, licking his body, but strangely enough they were not burning anything, not even the bed he lay on.<p>

They were all giving worried glances towards the Dragon Slayer, even the people who have been isolating the past months, they could not stand to see a fellow guild member in this much pain. The people who were reacting worst were the other Dragon Slayers and the Exceeds. Wendy was on her knees near Natsu's bed crying, the normally stoic Carla had a worried expression and some un-shed tears in her eyes, Happy seeing that the flames were not burning him, lied down on Natsu's chest, crying for his 'father'. Gajeel had to leave the camp tent, he could not bare seeing his friend in such pain. Over the past few months were they were far closer than they had been before the Laxus incident, they had gained an almost brotherly bond, seeing him in this state only caused pain to the Dragon Slayer.

"Gildarts, when you leave the Island, I want you to take Natsu with you, take him to the guild, get Porlyusica to check him over" Makarov ordered.

"I just nothing happens to him" Makarov muttered to himself while the rest of the group helped get Natsu to the boat, Makarov stayed behind watching the group move away. Suddenly he felt a familiar presence near him, "Mavis, do you have a clue what is happening here?" "I'm afraid this is something that Natsu has to find out for himself Makarov, but you should know. The world as we know it will change, whether it is for the better will be down to Natsu" "I just hope Fairy Tail's light can handle the wind of the coming storm" with that Mavis disappeared to leave Makarov think about what she said.

* * *

><p><em><span><strong>Timeskip: Week Later<strong>_

A week had passed since Natsu had passed out in the cave. The entire time he had been in the infirmary of the guild hall. He flames had receded back into his body, his painful thrashings had ceased, now he just lay there, breathing perfectly, not showing any signs of an illness, just a deep sleep that no one can rouse him out of.

The past week has been a sad time for the guild. First one of their members is sent back to the guild with a seemingly unknown injury putting him into a coma state. Then they receive news that the Island Tenrou has been wiped off the map. After an attack from Grimoire heart, the Dragon of the Apocalypse had shown up and destroyed the Island, meaning that the guild was now without its core members, and the only member that was still here from that group is upstairs in coma.

It was truly a dark time for Fairy Tail. They were crippled, the members of the guild had no one to look to for hope, they had to do the unwanted task of finding a new master while also trying to keep the reputation of the guild.

In the infirmary, Natsu started stirring. He had not been simply knocked out for the week. He had been subjected to various memories, although not full memories, they simply showed the bloodshed of many villages and even the occasional town or city. He had gained no answers from the memories, but gained a thousand questions.

Until one memory had showed him something that shook the very remnants of his soul. He had seen what he was, he saw the person standing before him in the reflection of a lake just outside a village he had just decimated. He looked like him, Pink hair, but one side of the hair was blackened, he looked taller than he was now, he had a far more toned body, but the most shocking thing was his skin. It was all black, almost scaled if it wasn't for the odd bit of rotted flesh, that seemed to just stay there instead of simply falling off. He looked like one of those creatures from the village, he looked like, no he finally accepted it. He was... **A Demon**

**(A/N) I hope this doesn't seem to rushed. I experimented with a few ways of revealing it, and whether i should reveal it now. But in the end i thought it was a better way to do it, so i can get into the serious part of the Fanfic.**

**Next Chapter: Fairy Tail returns from Tenrou after the 7 year time skip. How much has Natsu and the Guild changed in that time? (a/n)**


	4. The Demon of Fairy Tail

**(A/N) Thanks for those who reviewed the story and have followed or favourited the story. I hope I don't disappoint you all. This chapter, has quite a little amount of action in there, but this is mostly a story chapter. Simply laying the foundation for the next chapter. (A/N)**

"Gray? Gray! Wake up" was all Gray could hear as he started stirring in his sleep. Opening his eyes Gray was shocked, he could see two people who were very familiar, but also not familiar. He thought he saw Jet and Droy, but instead he saw two people who looked like Jet and Droy, but they were buff, and a lot taller.

"Jet?... Droy?" Gray asked, unsure if his eyes were deceiving him. His answer was a bone breaking hug from both boys and an exclamation of their happiness to see the members of the guild they thought they had lost.

After Gray had been woken by Jet and Droy, they had moved around the clearing and into the nearby forest, to help find the others.

Finding all the members, Makarov had gathered them all into the clearing to find what exactly has happened.

"So... why do you all look so different?" Makarov asked the question on everyone's minds when he saw, Jet, Droy and Laki.

When they had finished explaining that they had been asleep for seven years, how they found the island when a small girl directed them hear they were interrupted by the First Master of Fairy Tail, Mavis Vermillion, "The reason behind the disappearance, was me. I had taken all of your feelings and magical power to create a spell that is the ultimate defence. It defended the whole island from Acnologia's attack, but as a drawback it took seven years to gather power to release the hold on the spell"

After a tearful reunion for most of the members, they made their way home, using the boat they rode to the island on.

Arriving in Magnolia, the entire group were given happy cheers from the residents, rejoicing in the fact that the core members had not died on that island.

When they finally got in the guild, they were subjected to an uproar of cheers from the guild members, the members of the guild all went to greet the people who returned, while they were observing the guild. "What the hell happened to the guild?" Makarov asked Macao, once he had managed to pull him aside with Wakaba. "Well, when you first disappeared, we were in a rut, no one more so than Gildarts, he took one of the ten-year missions and hasn't come back yet. But we managed to pull ourselves out of it, getting even more recognise than ever before" Macao praised his guild, proud that he did not fail at his job as Master while they were locked on the island.

"It also helps when you have someone like Salamander getting his requests" Wakaba said, taking a puff of his pipe, "Natsu?" someone asked to the side of the group. Looking behind him Wakaba, saw Gajeel and Wendy standing behind him with hopeful faces, "Hm, yeah, Natsu really came through for us while you guys were gone" "How come?" Makarov asked, "Well, when you were gone he sunk into a depression. He started showing up less to the guild. Until one day a guild had started up in Magnolia, Twilight Ogre, they started harassing the guild members, coming in late at night and wrecking the place" Makarov frowned at this and started leaking magic thinking of his 'children' being harassed by these thugs "Until of course, Natsu came by one night to see me and Macao, and it so happened it was the night that Twilight Ogre decided to show up again..."

_**Flashback**_

Natsu was sitting at the table with Wakaba and Macao. It had been a year since the Tenrou incident, he had gotten out of his depression a while ago, but he was not the same anymore, he was angry, rarely smiling unless he was caught reminiscing about his times with Gajeel, Wendy and the exceeds.

"So, Natsu, you heard about that guild that have been coming around here?" Macao asked, "New guild? No, what about them?" "Well, this new guild Twilight Ogre they been coming around here a bit lately, trying to rough up the me-" "They what!" Natsu screamed, fuming in anger at someone trying to hurt his guilds members.

Before Natsu could receive his answer from Macao, the doors to the guild smashed open, standing there were five unknown mages, all sporting confidence smirks as they strode into the guild and made their way over to the bar, "How can we help you?" the new barmaid, Kinana asked. "You can help us by, coming with us for a little fun?" The first mage said, gaining cheers from his friends, while he made to grab Kinana's wrist, but before she could even ask for help from her members, she received it, in the form of Natsu grabbing the man's arm in a fierce grip.

"Gahh!" the man screamed as Natsu suddenly broke the man's arm and threw him across the hall, "So I take it you insects are Twilight Ogre?" Natsu asked in a dangerous tone, "Yeah! What's it to y-" one of the braver mages tried to answer but was cut off by a flame covered fist driving him back through the very doors he walked in through, "Right. So now that I know what guild has tried to hurt my family. I know exactly what I need to burn to the ground" Natsu stated before walking over to the remaining three mages.

After dealing with the other mages, he walked right out of the guild and made to go for the Twilight Ogre guild building in the middle of town. If anything is sure about Natsu since his family went missing on Tenrou, it's that he has only become more protective of the remaining members in the guild.

"Do you think its a good idea to let Natsu go after them like that?" Wakaba asked Macao, "I wonder. I mean if anyone has the strength to stop them right now, its him. But that doesn't mean I want him going in there and destroying the place"

**(Insert Line Here)**

When Natsu had got to the Twilight Ogre guild hall, he stood outside, unimpressed by the hall. He started rising his magic, letting people all over Magnolia know exactly where he was, while channelling his black flames into his arms. Raising his arms above his head, he started forming a great ball of black flames in the air. By this point most of the members were outside watching as Natsu was intent on destroying their building.

After a few minutes, Natsu had finally decided he gave them enough time to leave and any caught inside had only themselves to blame.** "Secret Dragon Slayer Art..."** Natsu screamed as he threw the ball of flames right into the sky above them. The whole of Fairy Tail were on the hill overlooking the building watching with wide-eyes as Natsu was attempting to destroy the building,** "... Abyss Flames Form: Black Light Comet"** Natsu bellowed his spell as the ball of flames started descending at incredible speeds towards the guildhall, before making impact and exploding in a glorious display of destruction and flames on the guild hall.

After the cloud of dust had settled, they could see Natsu with a fierce glare being directed at the members that were standing with eyes wide, glazed in fear at what was just witnessed.

The members of Fairy Tail could only look in awe at how strong Natsu had gotten since Tenrou. He just decimated an entire guild hall with one spell.

_**Flashback End**_

"... After that Twilight Ogre never showed up again, not really sure what happened to the guild after that but I think they moved to a different town, but unfortunately they weren't the only guild that tried to take advantage after you guys left. Its not as common as before thanks to the strength the guild has regained, but it still happens sometimes" Macao finished. Gajeel and Wendy could only smile knowing how strong Natsu had gotten, and the fact he could completely control his black flames to the extent of creating a Secret Art that uses them.

"So where is Natsu?" Gajeel asked the question that was on everyone's mind after hearing the tale. "Hmm, I think he went out on a mission a few days ago. He should be back later tonight or tomorrow".

After that the guild broke back into a party, celebrating their return. However it didn't last for long, before they all heard a loud booming voice outside the guild, "Hoho, it looks like the Fairies are having a party. Wonder if theres space for us?" A man asked from outside the doors, eliciting laughs from the group he seemed to have with him. "Guh! not these idiots" Macao said, pinching the bridge of his nose, "Well, i guess you wont need me to explain about one of the other guilds that has been coming here. They seem to know when Natsu is gone, so they tend to turn up when he is on one of his longer missions".

The doors suddenly kicked open to show a group of seven mages. All of them were wearing casual clothes, baggy trousers and hooded jackets, but some were wearing cloaks to cover themselves, but all of them had weapons in hand ready. "So, it seems the lost fairies, found their way home. Well then, let us give you a welcome party" the first mage said before releasing a blast of wind at some of the tables closest to the door, destroying them and hurling them into the other members.

"Bastards!" Gray growled through gritted teeth, preparing his ice magic to deal with the troublesome mages. "Now now, you wouldn't want to do anything hasty would you?" one of the other mages asked. However, before anyone in the guild could reply, a cold, dark voice came from behind the group of mages, "What are you insects doing to my guild?", this caused all the mages to turn around to see who dared insult them, "Who the hell are you?" one of the braver mages asked, while the Tenrou group watched on in confusion at who the person was, while the the members of the guild simply smirked knowing who it was.

"Me? you ask who i am after coming to my guild and destroying property? You must be those cowards who always appear when i'm away. It seems it's your unlucky day" the man claimed with a smirk. "Wait, you're not- no, you were not to be here for another a day atleast" the main mage of the group answered, slightly fearful, "Well, it would seem my mission was done quicker than I expected, how about that?".

Suddenly the mages that were attempting to attack Fairy Tail attempted to run from the guild with door shutting behind them, however it was not shut for long, before it was blasted to pieces by black flames, the same black flames that seemed to cover the entire area outside the door, "You cowards, you dare attack my guild and then try to run when i turn up?. I will make you regret this night" the man claimed, before suddenly the entire area roared in a blazing inferno of black flames with some crimson red making an appearance in the flames.

The man lifted his arms above his head, with his palms facing outward, while facing the mages with an evil smirk, **"Fire Dragon's….." **as soon as the man said those words, every mage from Tenrou suddenly went wide eyed as they realised who the mage was, "Natsu-san?" Wendy asked in a quiet voice **"Abyssal Radiance"** suddenly the area that was silent and void of flames before Natsu slammed his palms into the ground, sending cracks through a small area around him and the area exploded in flames, none of the flames did damage to the ground, the walls of the guild, only the mages he was targeting.

After a few moments the flames died down, showing a group of mages passed out from the pain of being subjected to such an attack, before he turned to the guild and walked in dusting himself off.

When he finally walked into the guild, that was when everyone got a good look at him. He had grown slightly taller, his hair now longer trailing to his shoulders, slightly darker tone of pink. While his attire had changed completely, he now wore similar combat trousers as before Tenrou, but these had a tone of dark purple, while his upper body was covered with a black sleeveless shirt with a white band following the trim, but the shirt was mostly covered with a ragged looking poncho type piece of his clothing, with his trusty scarf wrapped around his waist.

"Natsu!" the guild greeted, excluding the Tenrou group who were stuck in shock at seeing Natsu like this and so powerful after that attack. Natsu simply looked towards the members who greeted him with a small smile and a wave before walking to the bar and getting a drink from Kinana, "Beer please, Kinana" he asked before sitting at the stool of the bar, putting his head on the bar.

The Tenrou group had finally snapped out of their shock "Natsu!" they screamed. Natsu hearing his name being shouted so loud, feared something had happened, he leapt off his stool, looking around the guild until his sight were set on the Tenrou group. He saw the entire group he thought dead seven years ago, standing right in front of him, he couldn't be happier at this point.

He suddenly stumbled forward, "G-guys?" he asked in a shaky voice, before being engulfed in a hug by Wendy and then the rest of the guild, all glomping Natsu in a group hug that has long been postponed. "I missed you guys" Natsu said, to the entire group.

After he had fully greeted them all, he approached Macao, "Well, _Master,_ the mission was a success, I also had some time to fit a bit off _That_" Natsu said to his Master in a serious tone, Macao knowing exactly what he was talking about, "Thats great news Natsu, go on, join the guild in the party, its been long awaited" "I will, I have something I need to do quickly though, I'll be back soon" was all he said before exiting the guild.

The group finding this a little strange approached Macao, "Ne, Macao, where's Salamander gone?" Gajeel asked, "Oh, he just has… something he has to do for a little, he will be back soon" was all Macao said, hoping that was enough, however, "What does he have to do that he would ditch us after we just returned?" Erza asked in a rather agitated tone, "Look, if he wants to tell you the full story, I'm sure he will, I'm not entirely sure what he does myself, so just wait for him to come back"

No one had noticed through all this that Wendy had snuck out from the group, intent on follow Natsu. After tracking his scent for so long, she came across him on his knees in a middle of a clearing, he seemed to know she was there before he seemed to stand up from his position and turned to look at her with a slightly happy expression. "Were you followed?" Natsu asked, "Huh? I don't think so. Are you okay Natsu-san?" Wendy asked, worried something was wrong with Natsu.

"Hmm? no I'm fine Wendy, It's just nice to see everyone again, however things won't be the same as they were before" Natsu said to Wendy with a smile before it turned to a frown as he muttered the last bit to himself so soft not even Wendy with her Dragon Slayer ears could hear him.

"Lets head back to the guild huh?" Natsu suggested, while rubbing her head. "Yeah, Lets" Wendy said while smiling, relieved that Natsu seemed cheerful again.

When they arrived at the guild, Natsu was surprised to see a man standing in the middle of the guild, a man he knew, but did not expect to see around here anytime soon, "Lahar? what's the matter?" Natsu asked as he walked in, "Ahh, Dragneel, I'm glad i caught you, we have one of… _those_ missions for you" Lahar said in a tone that surprised the Tenrou group at how serious it was. Natsu sighed, hoping he would have had time to rest after getting back from his mission, "Okay, is it close by? or is it another long distance hunt?" "It's sort of, in between. Should we go somewhere to talk about this?" Lahar asked, eyes pointing to some of the members that were either new or simply had no business knowing about the mission.

Natsu caught on to what Lahar was suggesting, "Yeah. Macao!" "Huh?" Macao answered, "I need to borrow your office" Natsu stated, receiving a nod from Macao. Natsu and Lahar walked past all of the confused guild members, leaving to the upstairs office that had the sign on the door, "Master Macao".

Downstairs, the guild members were finally coming out of the confusion, until Laxus asked, "Hunt? what does he mean by Hunt?", but Macao stared at him for a while, then simply looked away and continued his drink. This annoyed Laxus, but he figured he would get his answer from Natsu when he came back down.

In the office, Lahar and Natsu were discussing the mission, "... So, the creature is in the forest north of Hargeon. How had it gone unnoticed for so long?" Natsu asked, "Well, apparently, it looks human, until it reveals itself of course" "Hmm, have to say. I do hate hunting those ones, but i suppose its for the best. Consider it done, I'll leave right away" "Okay, thanks Dragneel. When its done, bring its corpse or some sort of proof to the Runeguard building in Hargeon and we will give you the reward".

With their discussion over, Lahar walked out of Fairy Tail, while Natsu walked over to Macao, "Master, I got to go away for a day or two, It's one of _Those_ so, I'm sorry for any bills you get" and with that Natsu walked to the entrance, intent on getting the mission done quick as possible, not before denying the request from Gajeel to come along with him.

**(Insert Line Here)**

Natsu had finally reached the place where this creature had been running amuck, using his Dragon senses to try and hunt it down. After an hour of searching, he stumbled across a cave, covered by dense foliage and vines, but he could smell the stench of death and evil coming from the creature inside, a creature that over the last seven years, he has grown all too familiar with.

"Oh? Do I smell my next lunch coming to me this time?" a voice boomed from inside the cave. Natsu simply smirked to himself at the arrogance of this creature. Slowly, the sound of footsteps could be heard, moving toward Natsu, who simply stood there unwavering, almost knowing what the creature was, confident he would be able to defend against it and defeat it.

Seeing the creature in front of him, Natsu finally spoke up, "So, _Demon_, would you like to tell me your name before I kill you?" "Huh, you?! a measly human, kill me?, the great Lextram, the Demon of this Forest?" The demon boomed, while flaring his demon curse presence, however, he could not anticipate what this would do to Natsu.

Suddenly, upon contact with the aura of demon magic, Natsu's body started changing. His skin turned a sickly charcoal colour as if he had been burnt to a crisp albeit the skin still looked smooth and full, his hair had grown a little while one half of the hair turned black while it seemed almost _'taint'_ the pink locks closest to the black hair, his teeth had grown longer and sharper while his already elongated Canines, pierced the flesh of his lower lip however he did not even so much as flinch at the action, and his eyes, they turned a dark piercing crimson, while the pupil starting shifting in colours, between black and a crimson red.

The demon stared in shock at first, then in complete and utter fear at the person before him, he knew exactly what Natsu was, he knew now how much of a mistake it was to insult such a person, "Y-y-you? W-we were told you died a-a long time ago" The demon stuttered out amongst the fear, "Now, Lextram, I seem to remember you, refering to me as a "Measly human" was it? I assume you would like to retract that comment" Natsu said in a dark, dangerous voice that seemed to have another voice lying within the sound. "Y-yes, please forgive me. I was not aware you were alive, be it alone in my presence" The demon bowed his head both in respect to Natsu and in fear of what he knew he was and what he was capable of.

"So, i assume you know who I am?" Natsu asked in the same vicious voice, "O-of-course. All demon's know of you, Lord E.N.-" The Demon was cut of with a sudden gasp as his chest exploded, while he coughed up blood, "Do not assume you can speak my name so freely" Natsu growled, "M-my apologies" Lextram stressed out, in between blood soaked coughing fits, "Good, now I feel I should let you know why I am here" Natsu said, gaining a smile on his face, that with his appearance, and the fact his arm is ledged into the Demon's chest, it seemed very dangerous, "I am here… to kill you" was all he said, before the arm that was lodged in Lextram's chest set alight with black flames, burning the demon from the inside out, "Why? You would do this to your own kind?" Lextram gasped out while holding in the pain from the flames.

"My own kind? Do not assume to know what I am. You who was born of Living Magic. I was not created through such petty means. I. The END of all things, was created through the glorious bloodshed of a hundred villages, the acts of a thousand demons and blood of countless souls. I, am your God. But I do not have Mercy left within me" Natsu growled out to Lextram before he engulfed the entire cave in flames killing the Demon in an instant.

**(Insert Line Here)**

With the mission finally complete, his reward collected. Natsu left to go back home, but not before he left his report with Macao. He often considered telling Macao everything about what he truly is, but how could he. The man almost died of fear when Natsu showed him his Demon form, he would surely freak out if he found out that Natsu was not only the strongest, but the oldest Demon.

One so strong, he required the bloodbath of countless people to reawaken him. Which is why he is not at his full strength now.

'Damn that Igneel for sealing my power and identity for so long' Natsu inwardly growled about his 'father's' actions that have stopped him from gaining his full strength.


End file.
